


Perfect

by cherrynrg



Category: Super Sentai Series, 快盗戦隊ルパンレンジャー VS 警察戦隊パトレンジャー | Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kissing, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrynrg/pseuds/cherrynrg
Summary: After the dust settles, maybe it's finally time to come clean.





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> 4th and final part of this little "one shot" collection. Thank you to everyone for reading so far! Now get comfy, this is a long one.

"If we ever get out of here, I'm taking you on another date."

That's what he said to her as they lied on the grass, inside the pocket dimension within Dagranio.

It had been nearly six months since they had escaped. Three of those had been spent in hiding at another one of Kogure's secret locations because it took quite some time before the charges against them had been officially dropped. Just in time too as the last Gangler had been taken care of a few days prior and the complete Lupin Collection was now safely back in Kogure-san's possession. Though, the now former thieves suspected that the convenient timing wasn't just a coincidence. 

Nevertheless, it was good to finally be free. And that meant making up for lost time with loved ones. Umika and Shiho practically spent every free moment they had at the mall. Kairi and Shouri went on a month-long cross country trip. And Touma and Aya immersed themselves into wedding plans pretty much as soon as Touma stepped foot into their new apartment. 

The ceremony itself (having only about two and a half months worth of prep) was simple but beautiful nonetheless. Only immediate family and close friends were present to share in this long-awaited moment. Umika and Shiho sat quietly in one of the pews as the few other guests filed in. 

"I can't believe they did all this in two months," Shiho whispered excitedly. 

"I know," Umika agreed, looking at the blue and white ribbons that adorned the benches. "I bet it's because of Touma," she mused. "He's been waiting for over two years, after all." She was so busy observing the decor and giggling with Shiho that she didn't notice the man walking up to them.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, trying his best to sound casual. Umika jerked her head around to see Kairi looking down at at her, a playful smirk displayed across his lips.

"Kairi," she exclaimed, barely keeping herself from shouting.

He placed his index finger over his mouth in a shushing gesture. "Don't wanna disturb the other guests," he teased, slipping into the spot on Umika's right. She blushed faintly, resisting the urge to punch his arm.

"Where's Shouri?" she asked, searching the entrance for the young man's older brother.

"He's stuck at the office," Kairi responded, sounding annoyed. "But... at least they gave him his old job back," he added, shrugging. "So," he continued, changing the subject."This is the famous Shiho I've heard so much about," he said by way of a greeting, inclining his head to the girl on the opposite side of Umika. "Good to finally meet you properly." 

She grinned broadly, inclining her head as well. "It's good to finally meet you too," she responded. "Umika-chan told me that you and your brother took a trip recently. How was that?" she asked.

"Well," Kairi started, slipping into his 'story persona' that he had often adopted in their table waiting days while talking to female customers.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Umika was slightly taken aback by how easily the two of them were getting along. Somehow she expected it to be a little more awkward. Then again, she remembered, Kairi always was a natural at being friendly when he wanted to be. Being charming was perhaps his biggest strong suit. Umika herself was the only one that could make him stumble or become flustered. She smiled to herself at the thought.

She was snapped out of her reverie as a violin began to play the classic wedding march. The three of them stood up and noticed that Touma was already at the alter(having most likely come in through a side entrance). They turned back as the doors opened to a figure standing in the entrance way, shrouded in white, holding a bouquet of indigo.

The vows were short but heartfelt and incredibly touching. Shiho dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Umika grabbed the hands of both her seatmates and buried her face in Kairi's shoulder. He peered down her and smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. After it was over, they filed outside and cheered as the newlyweds passed by down the stairs. The couple stopped when they reached the trio. Aya smiled brightly and thanked them for coming as she wrapped the girls in a tight hug.

Kairi grasped Touma's hand. "Congratulations," the younger man offered, grinning.

"Thank you," the older man replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Where's your brother?"

"Work," Kairi responded simply, still mildly annoyed. "He said he's sorry he couldn't make it. But he did want me to give you this," he added, producing a package wrapped in white that suspiciously resembled a bottle of wine.

Touma raised an eyebrow as he accepted the gift. The grin on Kairi's face widened in response.

"Don't drink too much, now," he teased in a mock 'fatherly' voice.

Touma let out a small laugh. "Thank you," he said again as he and his wife relinked their arms and continued down the steps.

* * *

That night, as Kairi finally settled into bed, he felt the reoccurring emptiness in the space between his arms. He cursed himself for not doing _something_ at the wedding. What that something was, he wasn't sure. Yeah, they had held hands briefly but that wasn't enough to placate the memory of cotton from Umika's pajamas on his left arm or the ghost of the warmth that radiated from her cheek that his right arm felt. She was too far away now. The thought of her form when she would settle against him created a dull ache in his chest.

"Another night alone," he thought bitterly. A few moments passed by as the day's events replayed in his head.

"That's it," he said aloud and took his phone from the nightstand, filing through his contact list.

* * *

Umika had just stepped out of the shower, a fresh set of white pajamas with yellow flowers adorning the fabric. She slipped into the covers on her bed and shifted onto her side, moving to turn off the lamp. Suddenly, she felt incredibly lonely. The absence of the familiar weight of an arm draped over her side was palpable. The fact that her head was laying on a pillow instead of a bicep was surprisingly upsetting. And the fact that her back was against the wall and not his chest was almost heartbreaking.

She should have said something earlier. "So many missed opportunities," she thought, regretfully. Sure, she leaned on him at the wedding but that was nothing compared to the faint feeling she got as she remembered being wrapped up in his arms. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Curious as to who would be calling at this time of night, she picked up the device to read the caller ID. 

Upon seeing the name, her heart skipped a beat. Nervously, she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey. Are you free tomorrow?" 

* * *

Kairi sat slumped on the bench, his arms on his legs, looking around as people passed by. He absently wondered if the people who did notice him knew why he was there. He thought about the very few romantic movies he had seen in his life. All of which at some point involved a guy nervously waiting on a park bench for his crush to show up.

"When did my life become so cliche?" he wondered, laughing inwardly at himself. He paused when he heard someone calling his name. He looked up to see Umika, jogging towards him and waving. He stood up and smiled at her.

"Sorry," Umika said when she reached him, panting. "Class ran late and I had to run home and change," she explained.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving off her concerns. "I pretty much just got here myself." Lies. In truth, he had been there for nearly half an hour. But he certainly wasn't going to tell her that. "Yep. Definitely cliche," he thought. 

She smiled, knowing full well that he was lying. She was just relieved that he wasn't upset with her. "So, what brought this on?" she asked once she could speak evenly. "You sounded so urgent on the phone," she said, a hint of concern in her voice.

He briefly considered telling her that he missed her. But part of him wasn't sure if that was the right move. He didn't want to sound like some lovesick puppy. That was Sakuya's department. And seeing as how she had finally worked up the courage to turn him down the day they were pronounced innocent, he didn't want to remind her ofthat whole mess. "I just remembered that I said I wanted to take you out again," he responded. "Heh... Sorry it took so long," he added after a few moments.

Umika shook her head. "No, it's ok. We both had a lot of things to catch up on," she said, still smiling. "But I'm glad you called," she went on. "Yesterday reminded me just how much I missed seeing you guys," she said, looking down at her shoes. It was mostly truthful. Of course she missed seeing Touma, he had become like a older brother to her. She missed his dry wit and deadpan expressions. But what she really meant was "I missed _you_, Kairi." But of course, she wasn't going to admit that. Not while this relationship was still fairly new. Ironic given how close they had grown, both metaphorically and physically. It's just the nature of the game.

"I know what you mean," he said, looking at her. "Weird how it's only been a little over three months... Feels like a lifetime."

Umika looked up at him, their eyes telling one another more than they would let their voices say. Identical grins etched themselves into their features.

He offered her a hand. "Shall we?"

Umika took it without hesitation. "Absolutely."

They strolled down the street, passing by all the little shops and businesses. Each silently took in everything that was happening around them. It was all very nostalgic. The only difference being that now they were completely comfortable in each other's presence. ...Mostly. 

It was Kairi who broke the silence. "So, does your dad know?" he asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant. It took Umika a second to realize what he meant.

"Oh," she said once she remembered the incident. "No, I told him I was going shopping with Shiho-chin. She's ready with a list of excuses if he calls looking for me," she explained. "I don't think he's quite ready to hear that I'm going out with the guy I spent two years living with."

"Yeah," Kairi responded, using his free head to scrub the back of his neck. "It took a lot of convincing for him to believe that I wasn't trying to 'corrupt his daughter'," he continued with a grimace. "He might blow a gasket if he thought that I was lying to him."

Umika hummed her agreement. "I'll tell him eventually," she said. "But for now, this is just easier."

"Ah," Kairi agreed.

"Did you tell your brother?" she asked, wondering how much he was willing to share with his family about this little excursion.

"Sort of. I told Niichan to not expect me for dinner," Kairi explained. "He asked why and when I told him I was going out, he figured out who it was with. He's always been good with that sort of thing."

"I guess being observative runs in the family," she mused, causing Kairi to smile.

He led her to a small cafe a few blocks away. She noted how similar it was to Jurer. It lacked the tri-color scheme and vintage collection of jars but it was cozy and looked incredibly friendly. They sat down at a table in the corner and placed their orders, the waitress smiling warmly as she left. The pair sat in silence to take in the atmosphere. Once their coffees arrived, it was Umika's turn to speak up.

"Um," she began, "It sounded like you were in the middle of talking about your trip yesterday but you didn't get to finish. So what happened?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"Uh," Kairi responded, trying to recollect where he had left off. Once he remembered, he told her about all the places they visited and passed by. He even showed her the pictures he had taken. She, in turn, told him about the classes she was taking, catching up with Shiho, and even chattered excitedly about some of the things she had bought. They talked about the wedding and lightly joked at the thought of Touma being so insistent on having it as soon as possible. It was amazing how much they had done in the last 90 days. Once their coffees were finished, the waitress rang up their purchases and grinned as the pair intertwined their fingers and left. 

Afterwards, they found themselves in another park, walking along the winding path. Steel grey clouds had moved in, blocking out the sun, but it did nothing to dampen Umika's spirits. Nothing could in this moment. She remembered what happened the last time they had come to a place like this and blushed. She caught Kairi in her peripheral and saw a serene expression replacing the usual smirk that at times seemed permanently etched into his face. She couldn't remember ever seeing him look so peaceful. She wondered if she should say something to him now, finally tell him what had been eating at her mind since the previous day. But she didn't want to possibly ruin the moment by sounding like some love-struck schoolgirl confessing her feelings, catching him off guard and possibly scaring him away. 

He led her off the path and up a little hill. They found a bench at the top and sat down. Umika sat up straight and faced forwards while Kairi slumped again, staring at the ground. He took a deep breath. "Alright," he said to himself. "Just do it." 

He shifted himself around to face her. She gave him a sideways look. "Umika," he said. The tone in his voice telling her that what he was about to say was important. She too shifted to face him. "I need to tell you something," He continued, trying to figure out how to explain his feelings without sounding like a weirdo. He opened his mouth again but closed it after a few seconds.

Umika put a hand on his arm. "You can tell me, you know," she said softly, causing his ears to burn. 

He took another deep breath. "I missed you," he said before he could second-guess himself again. "I know it's only been three months," he continued. "But yesterday really reminded me how I don't get to see you everyday anymore. The first month wasn't so bad. I was travelling, ecstatic to have Niichan back. But when we got back to town, it really hit me that I was spending every night by myself. Do you know how frustrating it is to wake up in the middle of the night, expecting to see someone there, only to realize you're alone? I wanted to say something at the wedding but it was Touma and Aya-san's day. I didn't wanna accidentally cause a scene. But I missed you, Umika. A lot."

Kairi surprised himself with how the words had just poured out of him. The pent-up thoughts had seemingly been bothering him more than he realized. Umika listening intently but her expression was largely unreadable. Part of him was afraid of what she was thinking but he had to get these things out of his head. It was too much to keep bottled up. When he finished, she said nothing. Rather, she just looked down at the bench and studied the wood grain. He braced himself for a rejection. 

"I... feel the exact same way," she said after a few moments, looking back up at him. "Being with Shiho-chin has been amazing," she went on. "But sometimes when I wake up from a dream, I can still feel your arm over my stomach. And when I realize that you're not actually next to me..." she trailed off. "I wanted to say something yesterday too but it didn't feel right," she continued. "Not when Touma and Aya-san were having the most important moment of their lives. ...I missed you too."

They sat there for what felt like an eternity, just looking at each other, unsure of what to do. Finally, Kairi shifted closer and cupped the side of her face in his hand. He leaned in and Umika responded by doing the same thing. They were a mere centimeter apart when they felt water droplets come into contact with the tops of their heads.

They looked up at the sky which had become so much darker while they had sat completely immersed in one another. Just then, the clouds fully opened up, releasing a downpour. Umika gasped and Kairi couldn't help but laugh as the rain came in full force. His mirth caused her to start giggling too and he took her took her hand, racing out of the park to find shelter.

They bolted into the nearest shop, still laughing with each other. The clerk(and most likely owner of the place) peered over at them as they wiped their feet. "Need an umbrella?" the elderly man asked, seeing their drenched clothes. "There's some right beside you," he pointed to Kairi's left. 

Kairi looked at the selection. "Ah. Thanks, ojichan," he replied and started to pick through the different options.

Umika smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about this," she said, inclining her head. The clerk waved her off, smiling back in the same way that the waitress had done earlier.

Kairi pulled out an umbrella made of transparent plastic that was wide enough for the both of them to stand under and Umika nodded in approval. The old man rang them up, still wearing the same grin.

"You kids have yourselves a fine day," he remarked as they set out into the storm. 

Kairi held up the umbrella between them and Umika grasped his arm. A chill breeze rolled through, causing the girl to cling closer to her companion, and he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. It had been far too long since she was this close.

There were very few people on the street now. And those that were still outside were running. Most likely to seek shelter as the two of them had done earlier. In contrast, they simply strolled along, taking their time. The rain was heavy and battered against the clear plastic, but all the same, it trickled down the sides, leaving them untouched. The only thing still getting wet was their shoes. A growling sound suddenly came from Umika's stomach. 

"Hungry?" he asked, looking down at her, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I was running late this morning so I haven't eaten all day..."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" he responded. "C'mon," he said, leading her further down the road. 

He stopped in front of a ramen shop that looked like little more than a hole in the wall. A place you could easily miss if you weren't paying attention. Umika loved places like that because it meant she could relax and eat in peace without unnecessary noise around her. Kairi knew that. He liked places like this too. Mostly because they were the exact opposite of the pretentious and obnoxious restaurants one would normally go to on a date. Another thing to add to the list of things he liked about his companion; her taste in eating establishments. 

They stepped inside and again sat down at a table off in the corner. There were a few other patrons scattered throughout the dining area but the place was still very quiet. All that could be heard were faint whispers and the slurping of noodles. A middle-aged woman took their orders and disappeared with the same, warm smile. Kairi wondered why everyone they had come into contact with had been giving them this look. Do all workers give couples this look? Why was he just now noticing this trend? 

"How'd you find this place?" Umika asked, cutting across his musings. 

"I uh," he responded, trying to push the previous thought away. "I came across it last week," he continued. "I knew you liked places like this so when you said you were hungry, I knew exactly where to go. The portions here are massive."

She smiled and remembered how in the beginning they had all tried to shut each other out. "Keep it strictly professional. No prying," Touma would say. She realized now how pointless all that was. 

"How silly" she thought as their meal arrived. 

They ate in relative silence. All that could be heard from their table was grateful slurping. Once they were done, they leaned back in their chairs. Identical, satisfied smiles on their faces.

"That was delicious," Umika sighed. "We will definitely be coming back here."

Kairi smirked, raising an eyebrow. "We?"

"Yes," she said, reaching across the table and pinching his nose. "_We_." He laughed at his own move being used against him. 

"Hey," he responded, batting away her hand.

The waitress came by to take the empty bowls. "Was everything to your liking?"

"Yes," they both answered in unison. "Thank you," Umika added.

"You're quite welcome. Please come back anytime. It's always nice having such a lovely couple around like yourselves." The pair blushed and the older woman smiled again and disappeared once more.

It was dark when they stepped back out onto the street. The rain had stopped, leaving a faint orange tint as the city lights illuminated the light fog. They walked in the direction of Umika's home in comfortable silence, arms linked together. When they reached her street, she halted. It took Kairi a second to realize why, his thoughts floating back to her raging father chasing him down the street. He was pretty quick for a man his size.

"Thank you for today," she said, turning to face him. "We're gonna have to do this again soon."

He nodded in agreement. "Definitely." They looked into each others eyes, getting lost for a moment.

"Kairi," she began, a sudden burst of courage welling up inside. "I think I lo-" She was stopped short as he cupped her face and captured her lips with his own. The familiar warmth spreading from her mouth to the rest of her face.

He let go after a moment, something she wasn't ready for. "Feeling's mutual."

She looked up at him for a split second before pulling him back down into another kiss like the one they shared on the bridge. Somehow she hadn't realized how much she missed _this_. Her lips tingled, the dizzying yet focused feeling rushing back like it was second nature. They let go after several long moments to catch their breath and simply stood there in each other's arms, both knowing they had to part, but neither wanting to just yet. It was Umika that had to be the strong one.

"I really should get inside," she said, forcing herself to separate from him. 

"I know," he said, a twinge of sadness in his voice. "I'll call you tomorrow, alright?" 

"You better," she chided, playfully.

A smirk formed on Kairi's face and he leaned down to give her one more gentle peck. "Good night."

"Good night," she responded and turned around without another word, heading down to her family's home. He watched her walk down the street, all the way until she was inside and stood there for a moment after the door shut. Then he sighed and turned to the direction of his own place.

"Another night alone," he thought again. But this time, not a trace of bitterness could be found. Sure, he'd be alone. But it was only temporary. And it was an incredibly small price to pay now that the world was right again. Touma was now a married man, Umika had her best friend back, and he had his big brother waiting for him at home. And now, he and Umika had each other. Everything was perfect.


End file.
